Dirt Cheap Eating

Thursday, June 2, 2011

My Plate. No more Food Pyramid!

The USDA has updated the old food pyramid and it is now a plate shape. They are hoping this graph style will make it easier to read and make educated meal choices.

An important part to buying food on a budget is knowing what kind of food your body needs. You should make sure that you have vegetables, and protein, and all the major groups.

One nice thing about this website is that you can look up all the major food groups and see what your options are for foods in that category. For instance, you can buy black beans sometimes for a protein. Knowing your options and what is best for you can help you make wise choices while still bargain shopping for the most cost effective meals. (remember you can never go wrong with a simple side salad or vegetable with almost any meal).

Some of their advice is actually beneficial to both your health and your pocket book!

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Balancing Calories

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Enjoy your food, but eat less. (cheaper!!)

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Avoid oversized portions. (redundant.. but yes cheaper!)

Foods to Increase

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Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. (can be cheap but careful what you buy)

Buying dried rice and beans at the grocery store is a very cheap way to get a lot of food. These take a little bit of prep time as you have ...

My goal with this blog is to help others find low cost meal alternatives in this economy. Groceries can be a major household expense and by doing a little extra planning before heading to the store a person can save themselves hundreds.

My theory is that buy finding low cost meals to eat some days will free up money to have a really nice meal once and a while too, or may be help free up some spending cash.